Islanders share passion for people, places, moments

One legend has it that Valentine’s Day originated to commemorate the anniversary of the death of St. Valentine, a Roman clergyman who was executed on Feb. 14, about 270 A.D., for secretly marrying couples in defiance of the emperor.

Another legend has it that the holiday began as a Roman fertility festival.

Valentine’s Day American-style probably dates back to the early 1700s, when people exchanged handmade valentine cards.

Esther Howland is credited with selling the first mass-produced valentine card sometime in the 1840s, and a greeting card continues to be the most common way Americans observe the holiday.

The Islander, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, invited readers to share their passions by completing the sentence: “I love…”

Responses include:

Anna Maria resident Nancy Colcord: “I love to cross the bridge to Longboat Key at high noon under a cloudless sky and breath in the beauty of the pass; to share the community table at Minnie’s with visitors thrilled with the charm of Anna Maria Island; to gather with friends at Ginnie’s and Jane E’s as the city awakens from its nightly sleep; and to listen in as dedicated commissioners take on the task of governing a small island town. I love living on Anna Maria Island.”

Holmes Beach resident Len Tabicman: “I love walking on the beach with my wife almost every day, and never tiring of the natural beauty of the sand, the sky, the water, and, most of all, my wife.”

Holmes Beach resident Dantia Gould: “I love living on Anna Maria Island. I love being within a (long) stone’s throw of the beach. I love being able to have flowers blooming all year. I love doing things that help this wonderful community. I love the people I work and play with here. Most of all, I love my husband, Barry.”

Anna Maria resident Betty Yanger: “I love to watch my young grandchildren run freely on the beach at sunset during the summer.”

Bradenton Beach resident Suzi Fox: “I love when sea turtle nesting starts. At the beginning of each season, I receive 10 to 15 phone calls at the first light of day each morning from the volunteers reporting on the nesting activity from the beach. They are so excited, especially when they spot a nesting mother. They whisper into the phone so not to disturb her.…There is such a sweetness to these conversations.”

Bradenton Beach resident Sam Fowler: “I love the way my wife curls up with a book in the sunshine, the first sip of a cold beer and fishing on the Bridge Street Pier with the sunrise.”